Imagine that you had access to the most successful people on the planet. Now imagine that you could not only interview them but also distill their wisdom into an immediately actionable set of advice. That is precisely what Richard St. John has done in this stellar book.
I came across Richard St. John after being one of the ten million other people to view his inspiring three-minute TED Talk. I purchased this book because I wanted to go deeper. You can hear Richard's voice as you read this book since it carries his same humorous, content-rich tone.
His TED Talk details the 8 traits that successful people have in common. Here are those traits with a few of the deeper nuggets that I found relevant:
1. Passion
-> Get out there and explore many paths
-> Pursue your passion, not money and fame
2. Work
-> Success does not come easy
-> We overvalue talent and undervalue hard work
3. Focus
-> Spend an intense amount of time focused on the one activity you really love
-> Worry about your interest, not your ability
4. Push
-> If you have self-doubt, you are not alone
-> Don't get too comfortable
5. Ideas
-> Make mental connection between diverse things
-> The best way to have a great idea is to have a lot of ideas
6. Improve
-> Practice to constantly improve yourself and what you do
-> Meet the minimum standards on your weaknesses and move on
7. Serve
-> Ask, "Who do you serve?" and "What value do you serve them?"
-> Listen to others and serve them something they appreciate
8. Persist
-> To succeed a lot, it helps to fail a lot
-> Being criticized is a sign you are on your way to success
This is a book that you will want to read slowly. It is jam packed with how-to tips and ideas that you need to deeply contemplate. Buy this book, keep your highlighter handy, and enjoy!
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Reviews with images
A Teacher Must-Read
I had my students watch Richard St. John’s TED Talk on this topic since one of our textbook units was all about success. I think it’s a great read- enriching and motivating with a logical flow and easy to understand. The copy that was sent to me had some weird stains on the cover despite being wrapped in plastic (see photos). Luckily, they easily came off with a baby wipe and now it looks brand new.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2013
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I had my students watch Richard St. John’s TED Talk on this topic since one of our textbook units was all about success. I think it’s a great read- enriching and motivating with a logical flow and easy to understand. The copy that was sent to me had some weird stains on the cover despite being wrapped in plastic (see photos). Luckily, they easily came off with a baby wipe and now it looks brand new.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2015
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2014
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Top reviews from other countries
JBA
Los factores del éxito, basado en 500 entrevistas.
Reviewed in Spain on May 26, 2014